70天攻克考研英语阅读 DAY18

2006-7-28 01:04

Increasing reading speed

Directions： Do the word recognition drills below. Note the words on the left then underline them every time they appear in the same form to the right. No regression， no vocalization. Try to finish in 15 seconds or less.

Starting Time：

1. everywhereeverywhere everybody everytime everyone everyday

2. seaman seamen sesame secute segment seaman gentleman

3. engineer engine engineer volunteer weaponeer rocketeer

4. current currency currant current currently currier

5. separate separated separately separative separate private

6. container condencer conditioner contender container opener

7. distilling distil distillation distillate distiller distilling

8. quantity quality qualified quantitate quantity quantify

9. produce product producer produced produce procure

10. appearance assurance appetence appearance appeal appearing

Finishing Time： Total Reading Time：

Errors： Check each line carefully for mistakes.

Fresh Water from the SeaThreequarters of the world is covered with water. But only three percent of this water is fresh. All the rest is salt， and fills the oceans and the great inland seas.

Water， water everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.

These famous lines were written by the eighteenthcentury English writer Coleridge about a seaman who was left all alone on a wide， wide ocean.

In fact， until recently， sea water has been of very little value to man. But now， at last， engineers are discovering that it can be very valuable indeed. It has been suggested that its currents could be used to make electricity. The French have proven that this is possible. They are already using the currents of a river mouth in Brittany to make electricity. It has also been suggested that seaside cities should use sea water for cleaning purposes. But engineers say that the cost would be too great. Special machines and pipes would be needed.

It is the salt which makes sea water useless to man. If you take the salt away the water can be used for drinking and for watering plants. It is very simple to separate the salt from the water. You could do it very easily in your own kitchen.

Take some sea water and heat it； in the end it will turn to steam. Catch the steam in a plastic bag or metal container. Let the steam in the container cool and turn back into water. Then taste it. You will find that it is no longer salty at all. The salt has been left behind in the heating container. This way of making fresh water out of salt water is called "distilling".

Here is something else you can try. If you have a refrigerator， put some sea water in it and leave it there until a little of it （not all of it ） turns to ice. Then melt this ice. You will find that the water is quite pure and free from salt. Seamen who went on the first great voyages of discovery in the Antarctic got their drinking water by melting blocks of ice.

It is simple and cheap to turn small quantities of sea water into fresh water. But imagine the amount of heat - or electric power - that would be needed to fill a lake with distilled water or melted ice. Until recently distilling fresh water from salt water was not worth the effort. It cost too much. But now scientists are finding ways of reducing this cost. There are already a large number of sea water distilleries in many parts of the world.

The most extraordinary example of how the sea can serve the land can be found in Kuwait. Kuwait is a small state on the Persian Gulf. It is very rich because of its oil wells. But it has no water wells. It has no rivers either， and rain hardly ever falls. Until a few years ago the people of Kuwait could grow very little food on their dry， sandy soil. And all their drinking water had to be brought in Arab sailing boats from a hundred miles away.

Now Kuwait has sea water distilleries which produce more than twentyone million gallons of fresh water a day. There are plans to double this amount. Already the dry land is being watered. Trees and plants are being grown. Very soon， thanks to the distilleries， the entire appearance of Kuwait will be changed.

——from World of Today and Tomorrow， by Richard Musman

Time： 594 words =wpm

Minutes

EXERCISESⅠ。 READING COMPREHENSION

Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage.

1. The famous verses mentioned at the beginning of the passage were written by .

A. an eighteenthcentury seaman who was abandoned on a wide ocean

B. the eighteenthcentury English poet Coleridge who was once lost on an open sea

C. the eighteenthcentury English poet Coleridge about a seaman who was left alone on a wide ocean

D. none of the above

2. The fact that sea currents can be used to generate electricity has already been proven by .

A. the FrenchB. the English

C. some French seamen D. some English engineers

3. Using sea water for cleaning purposes in seaside cities would be too costly because .

A. an extraordinarily big motor is needed to pump up the water

B. too many devices are required

C. special motors are needed

D. special machines and pipes are needed to do the job

4. When saltwater turns to steam by heating or freegings that which is from saltwater is trans formed into water， and it .

A. tastes a little salty B. is no longer salty

C. becomes more salty D. becomes distilled

5. Which of the following is true according to the information in the passage ？

A. People didnt recognize the value of distilling freshwater from sea water until recently.

B. People recognized the value of distilling freshwater from sea water until recently.

C. It is easy and cheap to change a large amount of sea water into freshwater.

D. There are few sea water distilleries in some parts of the world.

6. Kuwait sets an excellent example of .

A. acquiring freshwater from sea

B. consuming too large an amount of heat and electric power for distilling freshwater

C. exporting crude oil

D. boasting rich oil reserves

7. Kuwaits drinking water .

A. has to be brought in Arab sailing boats from a hundred miles away

B. depends upon the regular rainfall of the year

C. used to be carried in Arab sailing boats from a hundred miles away

D. is obtained from under the ground

8. Thanks to the distilleries， .

A. the dry land is now being watered

B. trees and plants are now being grown

C. the drinking water is no longer very expensive

D. both A and BⅡ。 CONTEXTUAL REFERENCE

Guess the meaning of the following words in italics using reading techniques.

1. Salt can be obtained in various ways besides being taken from mines underground. Evaporation of saltwater from the ocean or saltwater lakes or small seas is one of the more common processes for manufacturing salt.

2. Salt is also used to make water soft， to melt ice on roads and highways， to make soap， and to fix colors in cloth. Salt even helps to relieve itching when it is rubbed on mosquito or other insect bites.

3. Scattered through the seas of the world are billions of tons of small plants and animals called plankton. Most of these plants and animals are too small for the human eye to see. They drift about lazily with the currents， providing basic food for many larger animals.

4. The desert is hot and dry but the coast areas are warm and humid.

5. Now Kuwait has sea water distilleries， which produce more than twentyone million gallons of freshwater a day.

6. Oceanography has been defined as "the application of all sciences to the study of the sea".

Ⅲ。 CLOZE

Complete the following passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate words.

Salt

We do not know when man first began to use salt， but we do know that it has been used in many different ways throughout history. Historical evidence ， for example， that people who lived 2 3，000 years ago 3 salted fish. Thousands of years ago in Egypt， 4 was used to embalm （用盐涂（尸体）防腐） the dead.

Stealing salt 5 considered a major 6 during some eras of history. In the 18th century， 7 instance， if a person were caught 8 salt， he could be put in 9. History records that 10 ten thousand people were put in jail 11 that century for stealing salt！ About 150 years 12 ， in the year 1553， taking more salt than one was entitled 13 was punishable 14 a crime. The offenders ear was cut 15！

Salt was an important 16 on the table of royalty. It was traditionally placed in 17 of the king when he 18 down to eat. Important guests 19 the kings table were 20 near the salt. Less important guests were given seats farther away from it. In the Roman Empire， one of the most important roads was the one that carried salt from the salt mines to Rome. Guards were stationed along the route to protect against salt thieves. The guards received their pay in salt， hence the English word， salary. Any guard who fell asleep while on duty was said to be "not worth his salt，" which is still used today in English to refer to a person felt to be incapable of doing a job.